Funeral Services will be 11am, Monday, June 9, 2014 at Heartland Baptist Church in Belton, MO; Visitaion prior to service, 10-11am. Burial in the Belton Cemetery.
Dorothy Nell Ruffin Allen was born February 17, 1945 in Longstreet, TX to the union of Willie Ruffin, Sr. and Lessie Richardson Ruffin, the twelfth of sixteen siblings. The family later relocated to Waskom, TX where she was raised and educated in the Waskom school system.
She was preceded in death by her parents, her sisters Onnie Mae Mosley, Annie Washington, Sadie Johnson, Mamie Cooper, Emma Howard, Maude Dunn, and Bernice Lewis; and her brothers Willie Ruffin, Jr., Leroy Ruffin, Claude Ruffin, and Howard Ruffin, Sr.
As is often the case in large families, as children were born to her older siblings, Dorothy became a “semi-sibling” to her older nieces and nephews, and a beloved baby-sitter to the others, creating many beautiful memories!
After spending a brief time in Kansas City during her high school years with her sisters Onnie Mae and Norma, Dorothy made the decision to permanently relocate to the city in the mid-1960s after graduating from Central/Cary B. Abney High School in Waskom, TX. She was employed in various administrative positions with several companies throughout her working years.
Dorothy was united in marriage to Willie Allen in 1967, and although the marriage was later dissolved, it was blessed with two sons, Darrell and Darrin, who were the pride and joy of both their parents.
A fiercely devoted mother, Dorothy lived for her two boys and in every aspect of her being they always came first. From her viewpoint, no need of hers was greater than one of theirs, and this was manifested throughout her life, all the way to her final days. And what a proud grandmother! No visit with Dorothy went very long before the most recent photos of her four grandchildren suddenly appeared!
Dorothy was a God-loving, Christian woman who had a special relationship with the Lord and never lost her faith in Him and His promises. When not volunteering at St. Joseph’s Hospital, she spent her time reading and learning, and listening to others proclaim His Word.
God welcomed His tireless and faithful servant into His Holy Kingdom on June 5, 2014. We look forward to the day that Dorothy will stand beside Him and welcome us too!
Dorothy leaves to cherish her memories her devoted sons, Darrell Christopher (Marcianna) Allen, Belton, MO and Darrin Lovard Allen, Kansas City, MO; her beloved grandchildren, Aubrianna, Caleb, Joshua, and Cora Allen, Belton, MO; her loving sisters and brother, Norma Ruffin, Beulah Ruffin and Carl Ruffin, all of Kansas City, MO; and a multi-generational host of adoring nieces and nephews.
SHARE OBITUARY
v.1.8.18